Arrive in Cairo International airport, the 'city of a thousand minarets', you will be met and transferred to your city centre hotel ahead of this evening's welcome dinner and briefing.

Visit Egypt’s most iconic sites: the Pyramids of Giza and the unblinking Sphinx, guardian of the mortuary complex. The Sphinx was poetically described by the writer John Lawson Stoddard as 'grand in its loneliness; veiled in the mystery of unnamed ages'. After lunch, explore the atmospheric Cairo Museum with its collections of statues, mummies and pharaonic treasures. Later, explore the Khan el Khalili Bazaar, a souk famed for its precious and semiprecious jewellery. *Please note: Should the new Grand Egyptian Museum be open when you travel, then the Cairo Museum visit will be replaced by a visit to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, to which the artefacts will be moved.

Spend the morning exploring Cairo’s oldest district, the Coptic Quarter. Explore its Coptic churches and the impressive Christian artefact collection at the Coptic Museum. Later, continue to Sakkara, an ancient necropolis famed for its painted catacombs and the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser. Built for the Pharaoh by his architect, the high priest Imhotep, this 27th BC structure was Egypt’s first ever pyramid. Inside, you’ll see wonderful carvings on the alabaster stone walls. Enjoy time to relax before this evening’s dinner.

Take the desert road to Alexandria, on Egypt’s northern coast. This afternoon, discover Alexandria’s breathtaking highlights, from the Roman theatre to the beautifully carved Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, a 2nd century construction and one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. Pause to admire the renovated 15th-century Qaitbay Citadel, once one of the most important defensive strongholds of Africa’s Mediterranean coastline.

Depart Alexandria and visit nearby El Alamein, the site of two key battles during World War II. The Allied Victory in the second battle was instrumental in ending the Axis threat to Egypt. Visit the military museum and Commonwealth war cemeteries. Head southeast back to Cairo, stopping en route to visit the historic Monastery of St Macarius the Great, continuously inhabited by Coptic Orthodox monks from the 4th century up to the present day.

Take a short flight from Cairo to the city of Luxor, boarding your 5-star Nile cruise ship before lunch. This afternoon, we visit sites around Luxor’s East Bank, exploring the Temples of Luxor and Karnak. Both are dedicated to the Theban Triad: the sun god Amun the Creator, his consort Mut (mother of the world) and their son Khonsu, god of the moon. Return to the ship for dinner.

Start the day with a visit to Luxor’s West Bank, one of the most stunning landscapes in Egypt. Our day begins with a stop at the eerie Colossi of Memnon statues before continuing to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir-el-Bahari, the mortuary complex of one of Egypt’s earliest female pharaohs. Continue to the Valley of the Kings, burial site of almost all New Kingdom pharaohs of the 18th,19th and 20th dynasties. Visit the tomb of Tutankhamun, along with some other tombs of your choice. The Valley’s many-chambered tombs are richly decorated with vibrant wall paintings depicting the stories of their rule, their gods and legends of the afterlife. This evening, the ship sails to the farming town of Esna.

Continue to Edfu, south of Esna, to visit the Temple of Horus and its wealth of inscriptions. Although it was built under the Ptolemaic dynasty, its style appears much older, and it remains impressively intact. During lunch, sail to the agricultural town of Kom Ombo, famous for its Ptolemaic-era twin temples to falcon-headed Horus and crocodile-headed Sobek. This evening, sail toward Aswan.

Rise early and journey southwest to the iconic temples of Abu Simbel, at Egypt’s furthest edge. The Great Temple here is dedicated to Ramesses II, sometimes said to be the greatest pharaoh of the New Kingdom; four 66-foot-high statues of him flank its entrance, and many more enormous statues and halls filled with wall paintings are to be seen inside. To the right of the Ramesses temple entrance is the Small Temple, dedicated to Nefertari (Ramesses’ chief queen) and the sky deity Hathor, the symbolic mother of all pharaohs. Return to the ship in Aswan. The drive from Aswan to Abu Simbel takes around three hours but is almost universally considered worth the journey by all who have visited in the two centuries since its discovery. Many consider it the highlight of Egypt.

Spend the morning exploring the great monuments around Aswan. You’ll visit the 3600-metre long High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and the majestic Temple of Philae. This afternoon, board a traditional felucca boat and enjoy a relaxing cruise around the area before dinner. This evening, fly back to Cairo, where you’ll stay in a hotel near the airport ahead of tomorrow’s departure.

After breakfast, transfer to Cairo International airport for your onward flight. Please note: This standalone tour can also be combined with our tour of Israel and Jordan.